Mary McLeod Bethune, one of the most influential educators and civil rights leaders in American history, died on this day at age 79 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Born on July 10, 1875, in Mayesville, South Carolina, she was the fifteenth of seventeen children born to Samuel and Patsy McLeod—former slaves on the McLeod Plantation.

Though born after Emancipation, Bethune grew up amidst the deep racial inequalities of the Reconstruction-era South. With a fierce belief in the power of education, she became the only child in her family to attend school. Her journey led to the founding of the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904, which would later merge and evolve into Bethune-Cookman University.

Bethune served as a trusted advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was the highest-ranking African American woman in government at the time. She was the founder of the National Council of Negro Women and dedicated her life to civil rights, women’s empowerment, and Black education.

Her death marked the end of an era, but her vision continues to inspire generations of leaders and learners.